Cats Play Fetch, Too

Cats have a reputation for being unfriendly and distant compared to dogs, but research is eroding that idea. In a new study, scientists found cats instinctively know how to play fetch and most often initiate fetching sessions, reflecting a broader tendency "to maintain a sense of control," per the Washington Post. As the Guardian puts it, "cats like to play fetch but on their own terms." Researchers surveyed 924 owners of 1,154 cats on six continents, all of whom played fetch. A few had been taught by their owners, but 94% had not. "It was more common than people were probably expecting, and even I was expecting," Jemma Forman, an animal psychologist at the University of Sussex and co-author of a study on the findings, tells the Post.

Owners described cats retrieving cat toys but also spherical items, like baubles and balls of crumbled paper; ring-shaped objects; cosmetics; and clothing. Most owners reported that they observed the behavior in the first year of the cat's life. It's not clear if cats fetch to enjoy the bonding reward from their owners, as dogs do, or because they enjoy the chase and perhaps view the object as a kind of prey. As this study, published Thursday in Scientific Reports, looked specifically at cats who were known to play fetch, it's also not clear how prevalent the behavior is among the larger population.

But study co-author Elizabeth Renner, a psychologist at Northumbria University, suggests the desire to play fetch is "akin to a personality trait," per the Post. Cats need the right personality or temperament and to be bonded with a receptive owner. The vast majority of cats initiated fetching sessions more often than their owners. "Some cats would only fetch one specific type of item, had a preferred person to play with, or only be up for a game of fetch at particular times of day," per the Guardian. "This perceived sense of control from the cat's perspective may be beneficial for the cat's welfare and the cat-owner relationship," Forman tells the BBC. "When they are in control, they enjoy themselves more—so they play more enthusiastically," she adds, per the Post. (More cats stories.)